Chris Cuomo Says He Never Abused His Position to Aid His Brother

Fired and disgraced former CNN anchor Chris Cuomo says that he never used his position to manipulate the media into helping his beleaguered brother, former NY Governor Andrew Cuomo.

Speaking publicly for the first time since his firing to NewsNation host, Dan Abrams, the younger Cuomo brother said that he’s neither a victim nor guilty of many of the things that led to his ouster from the network last year.

“I never contacted any media who were covering my brother, to try to affect their coverage,” Cuomo told Abrams in an exclusive, one-hour interview that aired on “Dan Abrams Live” on Tuesday, July 26. “I talk to people in the media all the time. They’re most of the people in my life.”

He also told Abrams he was not a victim of “cancel culture.”

“I don’t think I’ve ever been a victim of anything ever in my life…I don’t feel sorry for myself,” he said 

But the biggest bombshell, if you will — which came as no surprise to this writer — came within the last six minutes of the broadcast when Cuomo told host Abrams that he would be returning to cable news by joining the struggling NewsNation with a primetime show of his own in the fall.

If you have never heard of “NewsNation,” you are not alone. The fledging news network is only seen on average by around 50,000 viewers during its primetime hours, per Nielsen ratings. By comparison, Fox News typically sees more than 2 million, while CNN and MSNBC see less than half of that, typically at about 1 million each, still 10 times the viewership of NewsNation. 

However, that is where the one-time CNN favorite has wound up, in a bid to retain his own personal relevance and apparently to spur ratings at the network, which is owned by Nexstar Media.

“Chris joins our growing team of seasoned, award-winning journalists and will further our efforts to continue to ensure fairness and transparency in our news reporting and talk shows,” said Sean Compton, Nexstar Media Inc.’s President of Networks.

“I’m going to come to NewsNation, and I want to build something special here,” Cuomo said on Tuesday. “I have decided that I can’t go back to what people see as the big game. I don’t think I can make a difference there.”

The “minor leagues” indeed. According to Neilson, NewsNation, which was launched in March of 202,1, only garners a paltry 8,000 viewers in primetime in the key 25-54 age demographic, which is deemed the most coveted by advertisers, according to Nielsen Media Research. 

Whether a disgraced anchor, accused of colluding with his equally discredited brother, and who still faces accusations of sexual harassment himself can do anything to change those numbers, remains to be seen.